I recently "upgraded" my series 2 72" to a series 3. Wanted to add a top box to my series 2, but wanted it to match and really wanted the two longer drawers on the series 3 cabinet. Here's my takeaway.
In the end, not worth it. The two top long drawers are nice, which was one of my main motivating factors. Though I wished they'd make the top drawer full length. Drawer slides feel the same, maybe give the edge to my series 2, but that's probably because they've been in use more and have loosened up a bit.
The plus's
- I like the layout. I immediately noticed the drawer layout (or lack thereof) when swapping my tools over and started to question my decision. But, this wasn't a big concern knowing I was going to purchase the top chest the next time there was a decent sale. With that in mind, having fewer drawers is a nonissue. I also have a series 2 end cabinet I've swapped over (more on that in a minute), and an end locker on order. I will have more than enough tool storage then. If you never plan to get a top chest, this might be an issue, but otherwise gives you a reason to buy the top chest!
- charging drawer. I like it - mostly. Having this feature seemed like HF was finally catching up with the big boys. But they didn't entirely develop their idea. More on this below.
- power tool drawer. I'd really like to use this as intended, again, more below in the con's
The con's
- full length drawer release on the series 3 *****. Even though I played with them on the store, I convinced myself they would be a welcome change to having to walk allllll the way to the right to release a drawer. With the series 2 drawer release it had become an afterthought to slide that lever and open a drawer. Not so (or not yet) on the series 3. The tolerances are loose and lack any real feel or confidence. The Series 2 single end latch is much more effective and has better tactile feedback. Much better made. The latches on the Series 3 feel like something they'd have put out 25 years ago. Just feels like a cheaper design. Pushed as an 'upgrade' over the series 2, but it's anything but. The perceived convenience requires more effort than the single point latch does. It's like a bad door knob you have to turn just right to get the door to open. Not precise at all. As a side rant, check out the Icon drawer releases and closures. If that system doesn't scatter and jostle your tools around every time you open and close a drawer you have better tool retention than me. HF ought to be ashamed of themselves for that system on the Icon cabinets. I will say the issue is much more pronounced on the wide drawers than it is on the single bay drawers. Not a big deal? It's the large drawers we use the most with our sockets and wrenches. A few months in and I still roll my eyes a bit whenever I need access here. The wider the drawer, the more pronounced the sloppy tolerances.
- power drawer. I was all hyped up about this. Works great minus one issue. The taller 4.0Ah (or larger) Milwaukee 12V batteries that don't allow the drawer to close while charging. I've considered relocating the charging drawer hardware to another point, maybe in the top chest? Very disappointed in the lack of forethought here. When a 4.0 Ah + sized battery needs charged, plan on leaving the drawer ajar.
- power drawer organizer. Haven't been able to find one in stock since I bought my cabinet. I'm not about to pay through the nose shipping either. Store 45 minutes from me has a display unit but won't sell it to me.
- color change. As mentioned above, the red is a shade or two different. I will say it is a bit deeper, richer. I have a series 2 end cabinet I swapped over. The color is off. Not near enough to make me want a series 3 to match, but know it's there. I'll be painting the handles black to blend it in a bit more.
Top chest thoughts -
I like the top chest. I'd wish for the bottom drawer to be full length. I added my HF color matched power strip to the rear of the top portion and ran the cord out the left side hole the factory provides. I'm right around 5'10"/5'11" and seeing into the top drawer takes a little stretching, but I can't blame HF I've shrunk an inch since my 20's Know if you are any shorter, you may need a small step to really utilize the top portions of the chest. The latches on the top chest suffer from the same woe's as the cabinet. But again, the shorter the drawer length, the less it becomes an issue.
Of course most things are subjective to personal preference like drawer layout. But the drawer releases on the series 3 ****. They are loose and flop around under the pulls. Too much slack to take up before you get a full release. If I'm being completely honest I've wondered if there wasn't a way to improve them? Tolerances are not what you would expect from a chest retailing for $1800. I don't expect perfection, but c'mon. The HF cabinet and chest are still hands down the best deal going when it comes to tool storage. Pro technician of mine put together a very comparable Snap On set up and it retailed for $38,000. Triple bay cabinet/chest/sidelocker/powerdrawer, etc. I'll have right around $2800 in my set up after buying everything on sale. I can send everything to a tool and die maker and have titanium drawer slides and catches installed and have a custom paint job for less than the remaining $35,000 I've saved.
Would I buy this exact set up again? Yes. Would I have paid to upgrade to the series 3 cabinet again? Probably not. The longer drawers are really nice, but those drawer catches irritate me. I suppose it would depend on the time of day you asked the question.
In the end, not worth it. The two top long drawers are nice, which was one of my main motivating factors. Though I wished they'd make the top drawer full length. Drawer slides feel the same, maybe give the edge to my series 2, but that's probably because they've been in use more and have loosened up a bit.
The plus's
- I like the layout. I immediately noticed the drawer layout (or lack thereof) when swapping my tools over and started to question my decision. But, this wasn't a big concern knowing I was going to purchase the top chest the next time there was a decent sale. With that in mind, having fewer drawers is a nonissue. I also have a series 2 end cabinet I've swapped over (more on that in a minute), and an end locker on order. I will have more than enough tool storage then. If you never plan to get a top chest, this might be an issue, but otherwise gives you a reason to buy the top chest!
- charging drawer. I like it - mostly. Having this feature seemed like HF was finally catching up with the big boys. But they didn't entirely develop their idea. More on this below.
- power tool drawer. I'd really like to use this as intended, again, more below in the con's
The con's
- full length drawer release on the series 3 *****. Even though I played with them on the store, I convinced myself they would be a welcome change to having to walk allllll the way to the right to release a drawer.
With the series 2 drawer release it had become an afterthought to slide that lever and open a drawer. Not so (or not yet) on the series 3. The tolerances are loose and lack any real feel or confidence. The Series 2 single end latch is much more effective and has better tactile feedback. Much better made. The latches on the Series 3 feel like something they'd have put out 25 years ago. Just feels like a cheaper design. Pushed as an 'upgrade' over the series 2, but it's anything but. The perceived convenience requires more effort than the single point latch does. It's like a bad door knob you have to turn just right to get the door to open. Not precise at all. As a side rant, check out the Icon drawer releases and closures. If that system doesn't scatter and jostle your tools around every time you open and close a drawer you have better tool retention than me. HF ought to be ashamed of themselves for that system on the Icon cabinets. I will say the issue is much more pronounced on the wide drawers than it is on the single bay drawers. Not a big deal? It's the large drawers we use the most with our sockets and wrenches. A few months in and I still roll my eyes a bit whenever I need access here. The wider the drawer, the more pronounced the sloppy tolerances.- power drawer. I was all hyped up about this. Works great minus one issue. The taller 4.0Ah (or larger) Milwaukee 12V batteries that don't allow the drawer to close while charging. I've considered relocating the charging drawer hardware to another point, maybe in the top chest? Very disappointed in the lack of forethought here. When a 4.0 Ah + sized battery needs charged, plan on leaving the drawer ajar.
- power drawer organizer. Haven't been able to find one in stock since I bought my cabinet. I'm not about to pay through the nose shipping either. Store 45 minutes from me has a display unit but won't sell it to me.
- color change. As mentioned above, the red is a shade or two different. I will say it is a bit deeper, richer. I have a series 2 end cabinet I swapped over. The color is off. Not near enough to make me want a series 3 to match, but know it's there. I'll be painting the handles black to blend it in a bit more.
Top chest thoughts -
I like the top chest. I'd wish for the bottom drawer to be full length. I added my HF color matched power strip to the rear of the top portion and ran the cord out the left side hole the factory provides. I'm right around 5'10"/5'11" and seeing into the top drawer takes a little stretching, but I can't blame HF I've shrunk an inch since my 20's Know if you are any shorter, you may need a small step to really utilize the top portions of the chest. The latches on the top chest suffer from the same woe's as the cabinet. But again, the shorter the drawer length, the less it becomes an issue.
Of course most things are subjective to personal preference like drawer layout. But the drawer releases on the series 3 ****. They are loose and flop around under the pulls. Too much slack to take up before you get a full release. If I'm being completely honest I've wondered if there wasn't a way to improve them? Tolerances are not what you would expect from a chest retailing for $1800. I don't expect perfection, but c'mon. The HF cabinet and chest are still hands down the best deal going when it comes to tool storage. Pro technician of mine put together a very comparable Snap On set up and it retailed for $38,000. Triple bay cabinet/chest/sidelocker/powerdrawer, etc. I'll have right around $2800 in my set up after buying everything on sale. I can send everything to a tool and die maker and have titanium drawer slides and catches installed and have a custom paint job for less than the remaining $35,000 I've saved.
Would I buy this exact set up again? Yes. Would I have paid to upgrade to the series 3 cabinet again? Probably not. The longer drawers are really nice, but those drawer catches irritate me. I suppose it would depend on the time of day you asked the question.
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